Cross Street School Students Recognized

Four Cross Street Intermediate School students received statewide recognition in May for essays each did.

Fifth-grade student Makayla Teixeira got second place and sixth-grade student Justin Lastra placed third in the statewide Elks Club essay contest on May 12. The topic was "Why you're proud to be an American."

Teixeira said she wrote about how the United States has many services for those who are homeless or underserved. Lastra said wrote about the U.S. army and how beautiful the country is.

The statewide Elks Lodge picks six winners for the essay contest, three from grades 5-6 and three from grades 7-8. There are a total of 35 lodges in the state, said Laurie Taf Jackson, burgess and teacher at the school.

Meanwhile two other fifth-grade students, Amari Cummings and Thomas Stoehrer, both were recognized for their essays for the Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET) program. The pair had to answer the question, "How will you change the world after you graduate college?"

Cummings said she would help foster children, because she herself is a foster child. Stoehrer said he would help poor children get lessons in instruments and music. Stoehrer himself is a piano player.

Lastra is a student in Donna Renzoni's class and Teixeira is a student in Debbie LePage's class.

Both Cummings and Stoehrer are students in Lorraine Marzinotto's class.